


Red Herring

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-09-22
Updated: 2006-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-15 23:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8076241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: The Enterprise encounters an Earth Science Vessel in deep space. Events take a dramatic turn when the ship's Captain is suddenly found dead. And Captain Archer becomes the prime suspect in his murder.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: Disclaimer: â€œStar Trekâ€, â€œEnterpriseâ€, and all related characters and events are the sole property of Paramount Pictures, Inc., except for those specifically created by me for this story. This is fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.  


* * *

ONE

â€œCaptain Archer to the bridge.â€

Tâ€™Polâ€™s voice over the intercom brought Archer out of his stupor. Things had been relatively quiet recently. As he had been going over the status reports, he found himself actually beginning to doze off.

â€œOn my way,â€ he responded.

He rubbed his eyes and straightened his uniform. As he entered the bridge, everyone was busily performing their duties. Tâ€™Pol looked up at him from her science station.

â€œCaptain,â€ she said, no emotion in her voice, â€œwe have a ship on sensors. Itâ€™s on an intercept course with the Enterprise.â€

â€œAny idea who it is?â€ asked Archer.

â€œYes, sir,â€ said Travis. â€œItâ€™s a Starfleet ship. Its registry beacon identifies it as the Earth Science Vessel Stephen Hawking.â€

â€œWell, visitors from home,â€ said Archer, smiling. â€œTravis, alter course to intercept. Hoshi, hail them.â€

â€œTheyâ€™re hailing us, sir,â€ said Hoshi. â€œPutting it on the screen.â€

The now familiar star field that usually filled the screen changed. In its place stood a man apparently the same age as Archer. He wore a Starfleet uniform with the rank of Captain.

â€œCaptain Archer,â€ said the man, â€œIâ€™m Captain Terrence Spencer commanding the ESV Stephen Hawking. Itâ€™s good to see a friendly face out here.â€

â€œCaptain Spencer,â€ said Archer, â€œyou kind of took us by surprise. We didnâ€™t know there were any other Earth ships in this sector.â€

â€œWeâ€™ve been doing a planetary survey of a nearby system,â€ said Spencer. â€œWhen we detected your ship, I decided it was only hospitable to say hello. And we havenâ€™t seen another Earth ship in about six months. I was hoping you might be up for a little visit.â€

â€œAbsolutely,â€ said Archer. â€œMost of our contacts are with alien races. Iâ€™m sure the crew would appreciate some human faces for a change.â€

He glanced nervously at Tâ€™Pol. Intellectually, he knew she wouldnâ€™t take offense at his statement. Emotionally, however, he still ascribed emotions even to his Vulcan science officer.

â€œExcellent Captain,â€ said Spencer. â€œMy Chief Engineer is anxious to get a look at your engines.â€

â€œCommander Tucker will be more than happy to give him the grand tour,â€ said Archer.

â€œVery good,â€ said Spencer. â€œWeâ€™ll shuttle over as soon as we rendezvous. Iâ€™m looking forward to it.â€

â€œAs are we, Captain,â€ said Archer.

â€œHoshi,â€ said Archer after the communication had closed, â€œinform Trip to prepare to receive their shuttle. And inform the rest of the crew about our visitors. This should boost morale somewhat.â€

"Aye, sir,â€ said Hoshi.

â€œIâ€™m going to speak to the chef,â€ said Archer. â€œI think this calls for a special meal. How long before we rendezvous with the Stephen Hawking?â€

â€œTwenty-two minutes,â€ responded Travis.

â€œFine,â€ said Archer. â€œLet me know when we do. Tâ€™Pol, you have the bridge.â€

â€œYes, sir,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

Archer entered the turbo lift and headed for his private dining room.


	2. Chapter 2

TWO

â€œCaptain Spencer,â€ said Archer, greeting his counterpart, â€œwelcome aboard the Enterprise.â€

â€œTerry, please,â€ said Spencer. â€œI feel like I already know you, Jon. May I call you Jon?â€

â€œCertainly,â€ said Archer. â€œLet me introduce my crew. This is Sub-Commander Tâ€™Pol, my science officer, Commander Trip Tucker, my chief engineer, and Dr. Phlox, shipsâ€™ doctor.â€

â€œA pleasure to meet you all,â€ said Spencer. â€œNow, let me introduce my crew. This is Commander Thomas Marks, my first officer, Commander Craig Lavene, my chief engineer, and Dr. Peter Links, my chief medical officer. And I believe you already know my chief science officer.â€

Spencer stepped aside and a woman exited the shuttle. She was about Archersâ€™ age and had blonde hair that was starting to turn just slightly gray. Unlike the rest of the crew, she didnâ€™t wear a Starfleet uniform. Instead, she wore the uniform of the United Earth Science Command.

â€œAmanda?â€ questioned Archer in surprise.

â€œHello, Jon,â€ said the woman, smiling. â€œWhen Terry told me it was the Enterprise out here, I just had to come see you. Of course, it didnâ€™t take much prodding on my part to get him to alter course. Heâ€™s always wanted to see the only warp five capable ship in the fleet.â€

â€œYou know her, Capâ€™n?â€ asked Trip.

â€œYes, I do,â€ answered Archer. â€œWe knew each other when I was a cadet at Starfleet Academy. In fact, we even dated for a while. But that was quite a long time ago.â€

â€œPlease donâ€™t remind me,â€ joked Amanda. â€œItâ€™s hard enough to conceal my true age as it is.â€

â€œInteresting, Captain Spencer,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œYour crew addresses you by your first name. Thatâ€™s somewhat unusual, especially for a Starfleet vessel.â€

â€œNot as a rule they donâ€™t, Sub-Commander,â€ said Spencer. â€œBut Amanda is a special exception to the crew. You see, in addition to being my science officer, sheâ€™s also my wife.â€

â€œInteresting,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œYour wife?â€ questioned Archer.

â€œSeventeen years now,â€ said Amanda. â€œDonâ€™t be jealous, Jon. You had your chance.â€

â€œYouâ€™re still not holding a grudge over that, are you?â€ asked Archer.

â€œOf course not,â€ laughed Amanda. â€œItâ€™s ancient history.â€

â€œGrudge, sir?â€ questioned Trip.

â€œWell, as Amanda explains it,â€ said Spencer, â€œshe wanted to get married. But Jon was more devoted to his Starfleet career. So they eventually parted ways.â€

â€œAs I said, ancient history,â€ said Amanda. â€œNow, Jon, I believe you promised a tour of this magnificent ship.â€

â€œYes, I did,â€ said Archer. â€œCommander Lavene, Trip has agreed to give you a full tour of engineering. Dr. Links, Iâ€™m sure Dr. Phlox will be glad to show you around sickbay.â€

â€œPhlox and I have already met,â€ said Links, â€œwhen he was on Earth. Good to see you again, Phlox.â€

â€œA pleasure, Peter,â€ said Phlox. â€œI have some wonderful new discoveries to show you. Particularly a slug-like creature we discovered on a remote planet some distance from here. It has the most remarkable anesthetic properties Iâ€™ve ever seen.â€

â€œGreat,â€ said Links. â€œCanâ€™t wait to see it. Sounds like a spidersâ€™ venom we discovered on a system we investigated a couple of months ago. Its fangs are coated in it and the victim doesnâ€™t even feel the bite.â€

â€œFascinating,â€ said Phlox. â€œNo sensation at all? Not even the sensation of the venom on the skin?â€

â€œAbsolutely none,â€ said Links. â€œItsâ€™ potency is like nothing Iâ€™ve ever seen.â€

â€œThatâ€™s amazing,â€ said Trip as the two physicians wandered away, lost in their conversation.

â€œWhatâ€™s that?â€ asked Archer.

â€œSomeone as interested in Phloxâ€™s inane chatter as much as he is,â€ replied Trip.

â€œDoes your doctor go on at great lengths about the most insignificant things, too?â€ asked Spencer. â€œI usually have to cut Peter off in mid-sentence just to get a word in edgewise.â€

â€œWell,â€ said Archer, â€œletâ€™s start the tour on the bridge, shall we?â€


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

â€œFascinating ship, John,â€ said Spencer in the captainsâ€™ private dining room. â€œThe things we could accomplish with a ship like this. Why, just getting from one place to another would allow us to do a great deal more than we could do now.â€

â€œWeâ€™re very proud of her,â€ said Archer. â€œSheâ€™s surpassed all of our expectations.â€

â€œI believe it,â€ said Amanda. â€œSheâ€™s quite a ship.â€

â€œAnd you have a good crew, too,â€ said Spencer.

â€œThe best in Starfleet,â€ said Archer. â€œBut then, I think every captain feels that way about his crew.â€

â€œNo doubt,â€ said Spencer.

Just then the chef brought in their salads. As usual, he had outdone himself. Amanda had already taken a bite of hers as the chef turned to leave.

â€œTerry, donâ€™t,â€ she cried, grabbing his hand just as he was about to take a bite. â€œExcuse me,â€ she said to the chef, â€œbut is that peanut oil I taste?â€

â€œYes, maâ€™am, it is,â€ said the chef. â€œItâ€™s my secret ingredient.â€

â€œWhoa,â€ said Spencer, dropping his fork into the bowl, â€œnone for me thanks.â€

â€œTerryâ€™s allergic to peanuts,â€ explained Amanda. â€œThat first bite could have been his last.â€

â€œIâ€™m very sorry,â€ said the chef, picking up Spencerâ€™s bowl. â€œI wasnâ€™t aware of it.â€

â€œIâ€™m sorry,â€ said Archer. â€œYou hadnâ€™t said anything or I would have informed the chef immediately.â€

â€œIâ€™ll get the captain something else,â€ said the chef.

â€œOur fault, really,â€ said Amanda. â€œWe donâ€™t usually think about it. Our entire crew is aware of it and I guess we were just so excited about seeing the Enterprise we just werenâ€™t thinking.â€

â€œIâ€™m glad you caught it,â€ said Archer.

â€œWell, it was close,â€ said Spencer, â€œbut no harm done.â€

â€œSo,â€ said Archer, â€œI suppose youâ€™ll go back to your survey when weâ€™re finished here.â€

â€œYes,â€ said Amanda. â€œWe should be done in a couple of days. Then thereâ€™s a nebula about six days from here Terry wants to take a look at.â€

â€œSix days for us,â€ said Spencer. â€œOnly a few hours for you.â€

â€œWarp five does have its advantages,â€ said Archer.

â€œJon,â€ said Spencer, â€œI was wondering if you might show me the cargo bays when weâ€™re finished here. I know it might not seem very glamorous to you, but I have an interest in them. I noticed you exempted them from our tour.â€

â€œWell, to be honest,â€ said Archer, â€œnot many people have an interest in cargo bays. I just figured if youâ€™ve seen one, youâ€™ve seen them all. But Iâ€™d be glad to. If thereâ€™s anything else youâ€™d like to see, just ask.â€

â€œTerryâ€™s always trying to find a better way to stack cargo,â€ explained Amanda. â€œHe thinks if we can stack it more efficiently we can carry more.â€

â€œThat makes sense,â€ said Archer. â€œI know how precious space is on a ship.â€

When their meal was finished, Archer and Spencer went to the cargo bays to look around. Amanda opted to go to the bridge and talk with Tâ€™Pol. She felt their roles as science officers would give them more to talk about than roaming the cargo bays.

Spencer was impressed with the size of the Enterprise cargo bays. The Enterprise was more than twice the size of the Stephen Hawking and afforded much more space for storage.

â€œWeâ€™d have to increase the size of our ship to get this much room,â€ said Spencer.

â€œWell, the Enterprise was designed for long term explorations,â€ said Archer. â€œMaybe some day science vessels will be designed for such long periods in space.â€

â€œThat would surely be helpful,â€ said Spencer.

â€œTâ€™Pol to Archer.â€

Archer moved over to the intercom.

â€œArcher here,â€ he said.

â€œCaptain,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œlong range sensors have detected a ship. No identification as yet.â€

â€œIâ€™ll be right there,â€ said Archer. He turned to Spencer. â€œFeel free to look around all you like. Iâ€™ll let you know anything as soon as I do.â€

â€œThanks,â€ said Spencer.

Archer headed for the turbo lift.


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

â€œReport,â€ said Archer, entering the bridge.

â€œIt is obviously alien,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œBut it is still too far away to identify.â€

â€œWhatâ€™s its heading?â€ asked Archer.

â€œHeading two one seven mark nine,â€ said Travis. â€œItâ€™s moving at warp three. Itâ€™s not a direct heading for us but it will bring them close to that system just ahead.â€

â€œLateral sensors are out of alignment,â€ reported Trip. â€œShould have it fixed in a few minutes.â€

â€œStay on top of it, Trip,â€ said Archer.

â€œCaptain,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œthe ship has altered course. It is now heading away from the system. We will lose contact with it in a few minutes.â€

â€œWell, I guess we canâ€™t make contact with every ship we encounter,â€ said Archer. â€œMake a note of it in the log. Whereâ€™s Amanda?â€

â€œI have not seen Dr. Spencer,â€ responded Tâ€™Pol.

â€œShe said she was coming up here,â€ said Archer. â€œShe must have gotten side tracked. Iâ€™m going back to cargo bay two. Tâ€™Pol, you have the bridge.â€

Trip and Commander Lavene stepped off the turbo lift into cargo bay two. They looked around but saw no sign of movement.

â€œCapâ€™n,â€ Trip called into the bay.

His voice echoed off the walls. For a moment, there was no response. Then Archer called out to him from across the bay.

â€œOver here, Trip.â€

Trip and Marks followed the sound of Archer's voice. They located him on the far side of the bay.

â€œCommander Lavene,â€ said Archer, when he saw the two men. â€œI hope youâ€™ve enjoyed your tour of the engine room.â€

â€œYes, sir, very much,â€ said Lavene nervously.

â€œWhatâ€™s up, Trip?â€ asked Archer.

â€œYouâ€™re needed in sickbay, sir,â€ said Trip.

â€œWhatâ€™s the matter?â€ asked Archer. â€œCanâ€™t Phlox give a tour of his own sickbay without my help?â€

â€œNo, sir, itâ€™s nothing like that,â€ said Trip. â€œThere seems to have been an accident.â€

â€œAccident?â€ questioned Archer. â€œWas someone injured?â€

â€œItâ€™s Captain Spencer,â€ said Lavene. â€œHeâ€™s dead, sir.â€

Archer stared at the two men in disbelief.

â€œDoctor,â€ said Archer, entering the sickbay, â€œI came as soon as I heard.â€ Archer noticed Amanda and Commander Marks in the room. â€œAmanda, Iâ€™m so sorry. Trip told me there had been an accident.â€

â€œThank you, Jon,â€ said Amanda, wiping a tear away.

â€œDoctor, what happened?â€ asked Archer.

â€œCaptain Spencer was found in one of the corridors,â€ explained Phlox. â€œThere are no visible signs of trauma. At the moment, I do not have an immediate cause of death.â€

â€œI think I do,â€ said Dr. Links, handing a PADD to Phlox. â€œThis is a preliminary scan of the body. Itâ€™s hardly conclusive, but Iâ€™m willing to bet an autopsy will bear this out.â€

Phlox looked the PADD over. He read the results of the scan carefully.

â€œWeâ€™ll need to perform an autopsy,â€ said Phlox, â€œbut I believe Peter is correct.â€

â€œWhat is it?â€ asked Commander Marks. â€œDo you know how the captain died?â€

â€œI believe so,â€ said Phlox. â€œAccording to the scan, Captain Spencerâ€™s death was the result of severe anaphylactic shock to his system. My guess is he died within moments.â€

â€œAnaphylactic shock?â€ questioned Archer. â€œWhat caused it?â€

â€œâ€We found an injection site on his neck,â€ said Links. â€œApparently, Captain Spencer was injected with a large amount of peanut oil.â€

â€œPeanut oil?â€ questioned Trip. â€œThatâ€™s it? Just peanut oil? How can peanut oil kill someone?â€

â€œCaptain Spencer was highly allergic to peanuts,â€ said Links. â€œEnough oil could cause this reaction.â€

â€œAnd since no hypospray was found with the body,â€ interjected Phlox, â€œthere can be only one conclusion. This was not an accident. Captain Spencer was murdered.â€


	5. Chapter 5

FIVE

â€œWe need to find who did this,â€ said Archer when they had all gathered in the conference room. â€œI think our first order of business is to account for the whereabouts of everyone on the ship when Captain Spencer was murdered.â€

â€œCaptain Archer,â€ said Commander Marks, â€œwith all due respect, sir, I have to ask you to exclude yourself from this investigation.â€

â€œWhy is that, Commander?â€ asked Archer. â€œThis IS my ship.â€

â€œYes, sir,â€ said Marks. â€œBut your whereabouts just prior to Captain Spencerâ€™s death are unsubstantiated. Until we rule someone out as a suspect, everyone must be considered a suspect.â€

â€œYouâ€™re outta line, Commander,â€ said Trip. â€œCapâ€™n Archer is a senior captain in Starfleet Command. And heâ€™s no murderer, I can assure you of that.â€

â€œI agree with Commander Tucker,â€ interjected Tâ€™Pol. â€œI do not believe Captain Archer was involved in this crime. However, Commander Marks does raise a valid point. Starfleet Command will not accept our opinions as proof of innocence.â€

â€œYouâ€™re not saying heâ€™s involved, are you?â€ demanded Trip.

â€œNo, Commander, I am not,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œBut for the sake of appearances, I believe the Captain should exclude himself from the investigation until such time as we can conclusively clear him.â€

â€œVery well,â€ said Archer reluctantly. â€œCommander Marks, do you have any objections to Tâ€™Pol heading this investigation?â€

â€œNo sir, I donâ€™t,â€ said Marks. â€œShe was on the bridge when Captain Spencer was murdered. The rest of the bridge crew can attest to that. So that clears all of them. Besides, Iâ€™m not sure a Vulcan is capable of murder. It wouldnâ€™t be considered logical.â€

â€œNo, it would not,â€ responded Tâ€™Pol.

â€œOkay,â€ said Archer. â€œBut I expect to be kept apprised of everything in this investigation.â€

â€œCertainly, sir,â€ said Marks.

Archer left the room and returned to his ready room. He didnâ€™t like being kept in the dark, especially on his own ship. But Tâ€™Pol had a point. Until he was independently cleared as a suspect, the results of the investigation could be considered suspect. He knew Tâ€™Pol would waste no time in clearing him. It was nearly an hour later when Tâ€™Pol, Commander Marks, and Phlox appeared at his ready room.

â€œWhatâ€™s going on?â€ asked Archer.

â€œThe investigation is progressing,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œBesides yourself, four other crewmen cannot account for their whereabouts when Captain Spencer was killed. They are being questioned.â€

â€œCaptain,â€ said Marks, â€œwould you consent to a search of your ready room and quarters?â€

â€œWhat for?â€ asked Archer.

â€œIt would help to establish your non-involvement, sir,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œThe others have already consented.â€

â€œI guess it would be okay,â€ said Archer.

Tâ€™Pol and Marks thoroughly searched the ready room while Phlox took sensor readings. His medical tricorder would register things another tricorder might miss. Convinced their search had turned up nothing, the four moved on to Archer's quarters.

Archer pressed the button on the panel outside his quarters and the door opened. He held Porthos as the others searched the room. The very friendly â€œmascotâ€ of the Enterprise would simply get underfoot as the others searched. They were nearly finished with their search when Tâ€™Pol raised the mattress on Archer's bed.

â€œCommander, Doctor,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

Everyone stepped over to see what Tâ€™Pol had found. Lying on the bed underneath the mattress was a hypospray. Dr. Phlox carefully took a sensor scan of the hypospray before anyone touched it, and then carefully placed it in a plastic bag.

â€œUnfortunately,â€ said Phlox, â€œit appears we have found our murder weapon. The hypospray is empty but I am detecting the residual remains of peanut oil. And Captain Archer's DNA.â€

Archer just stared at the three speechless.


	6. Chapter 6

SIX

â€œIâ€™m telling you,â€ said Archer back in the conference room, â€œI donâ€™t know how that got there.â€

â€œYou expect us to believe that someone broke into your quarters to plant it?â€ demanded Marks.

â€œBack off, Commander,â€ said Trip. â€œYouâ€™re talking to a Starfleet captain.â€

â€œAnd Iâ€™m investigating the cold-blooded murder of another Starfleet captain,â€ responded Marks. â€œA murder that your captain is the prime suspect in, might I add?â€

â€œExcept that I didnâ€™t do it,â€ protested Archer.

â€œLetâ€™s review the evidence, Captain,â€ said Marks. â€œFirst, you nearly feed a meal that contains peanuts to Captain Spencer. Something that Captain Spencer was highly allergic to. Second, Captain Spencer is found murdered not far from your quarters with peanut oil as the weapon. Third, you cannot account for your whereabouts during the time Captain Spencer was murdered. Fourth, the murder weapon was found hidden in your quarters. With your DNA on it. Tell me, Captain. If you were in my place, what would you think?â€

Archer didnâ€™t respond. Marks was right. The evidence against him looked bad. If their roles were reversed, heâ€™d think Marks was guilty. This was obviously a frame but whoever had done it had done a very good job.

â€œWhy would he do it?â€ demanded Trip. â€œAnswer me that? What reason would the Capâ€™n have for murdering someone he had just met?â€

â€œI donâ€™t know,â€ said Marks. â€œMaybe he changed his mind about Dr. Spencer when he saw her again after so many years. Maybe he decided he wanted her back. But that couldnâ€™t happen because sheâ€™s married to Captain Spencer. Maybe Captain Archer decided to remove his competition, gambling on the fact that he was the captain of the Enterprise to prevent suspicion from falling on him.â€

â€œThatâ€™s ridiculous,â€ said Trip.

â€œI broke up with her,â€ said Archer. â€œAnd it was amicable. We both understood that our careers would conflict. What youâ€™re proposing is preposterous.â€

â€œThat may be,â€ said Marks. â€œBut I donâ€™t have to provide a motive. According to Starfleet regulations, I simply have to forward my findings to Starfleet Command with my recommendations. Based on the evidence, I have no option but to recommend an Article 71 hearing to see if a general court martial is warranted for Captain Archer.â€

â€œThatâ€™s insane,â€ said Trip.

â€œUnfortunately, Commander Marks is correct,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œYou canâ€™t be serious,â€ said Trip. â€œTâ€™Pol, this is the Capâ€™n weâ€™re talking about.â€

â€˜I agree, Commander,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œNevertheless, as I stated earlier, our opinions are not evidence. While I do not believe Captain Archer is capable of this crime, the evidence cannot be ignored. As the ranking Starfleet officer present, Commander Marks is bound to report our findings to Starfleet Command.â€

â€œCaptain Archer,â€ said Marks, â€œpursuant to Starfleet regulations, which Iâ€™m sure we are all aware of, and as the senior ranking Starfleet officer present, I hereby relieve you of command of the Enterprise, effective immediately. I also order you confined until such time as you can be transferred to a secure facility, pending a full investigation of this matter.â€

â€œThis is crazy,â€ said Trip. â€œYou canâ€™t do this.â€

â€œTrip,â€ said Archer, â€œsit down. Commander Marks is right. I know Iâ€™m innocent but heâ€™s bound by regulations. They are very clear in a matter like this.â€

â€œThank you for understanding, Captain,â€ said Marks. â€œThis isnâ€™t personal, you understand. I donâ€™t like having to do this, but regulations compel me.â€

â€œI understand,â€ said Archer. â€œTâ€™Pol will assume command of the Enterprise until this matter is resolved.â€

â€œThatâ€™s acceptable,â€ said Marks. â€œWith Captain Spencer dead, that leaves me in command of the Stephen Hawking. I canâ€™t command two ships at the same time.â€

â€œCaptain Archer will be confined to his quarters until this matter is resolved,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œSub-Commander, he should be in the brig,â€ protested Marks.

â€œCaptain Archer is a Starfleet captain,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œAt the moment, he is simply under suspicion and has not been convicted of any offense. As such, he is afforded a certain amount of respect. Also, regulations give me some latitude in this matter. As acting captain of the Enterprise, it is my judgment that confinement to quarters is sufficient.â€

â€œI donâ€™t agree,â€ argued Marks.

â€œThat is your prerogative,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œHowever, the decision is mine.â€

â€œThen weâ€™ll take him with us,â€ said Marks. â€œWeâ€™ll return him to Starfleet Command.â€

â€œI donâ€™t think so,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œCaptain Archer is in my custody. As long as I am in command of the Enterprise, and my rank supercedes yours as it does, you do not have the authority to remove him, unless you intend to relieve me as well. In which case it will be necessary for you to show that I am unfit for command.â€

â€œIâ€™m contacting Starfleet Headquarters about this,â€ said Marks.

â€œThat is your right,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œBut until I receive orders to the contrary from a superior officer, my orders remain in effect.â€


	7. Chapter 7

SEVEN

It would require four hours before the Stephen Hawking received a reply from Starfleet Headquarters. Tâ€™Pol was using that time to analyze the evidence against Archer. Somewhere there had to be something that proved he did not commit the murder.

Phlox and Links were going over the autopsy results again. Just as they suspected, Captain Spencer had died from a severe allergic reaction to the peanut oil injected into his system. He had died within moments of the injection.

â€œPeanut oil as a murder weapon,â€ said Phlox. â€œI must admit, it is not what I would have thought of as a weapon.â€

â€œConsidering how allergic Captain Spencer was to it,â€ said Links, â€œitâ€™s not so surprising. Half the amount he was injected with would have been enough to do the trick.â€

â€œAnd the evidence against Captain Archer is compelling,â€ said Phlox. â€œCaptain Archer is the last person I would have suspected of being capable of something like this.â€

â€œThis is confusing,â€ said Links. â€œIf he did do this, he went through an awful lot of trouble to leave it a mystery. Then he leaves the hypospray in his quarters? It seems like such a stupid mistake.â€

â€œWell, regardless of the evidence,â€ said Phlox, â€œI do not believe Captain Archer did this. It is not in his character.â€

â€œWeâ€™re all capable of doing some unusual things given the right circumstances,â€ said Links.

â€œOh dear,â€ said Phlox, looking at the readout of one of his machines.

â€œWhatâ€™s the matter?â€ asked Links.

â€œI was performing an analysis of some of the DNA found on the hypospray discovered in the Captain's quarters,â€ said Phlox. â€œI wanted to make sure it was the Captain's and that no mistake had been made.â€

â€œThatâ€™s a good idea,â€ said Links. â€œIâ€™d probably have done the same thing in your place.â€

â€œUnfortunately,â€ said Phlox, â€œI must not have sterilized the analyzer enough. It seems some of my own DNA has contaminated the sample. Iâ€™m afraid Iâ€™ll have to start over.â€

â€œThatâ€™s it,â€ said Links. â€œSomething about this has been bothering me from the very beginning but I couldnâ€™t put my finger on it. Now I know what it was.â€

â€œWhat is it, Peter?â€ asked Phlox.

â€œItâ€™s about the hypospray,â€ said Links. â€œYour initial analysis showed Captain Archer's DNA on it.â€

â€œNot surprising,â€ said Links, â€œconsidering it was found in his quarters.â€

â€œBut it was only his DNA,â€ said Links. â€œNo other DNA was on it.â€

â€œPresumably whomever used it sterilized it first,â€ said Phlox, â€œin order to prevent their DNA from being on it. Unfortunately, it still indicates that person was Captain Archer.â€

â€œNo, it doesnâ€™t,â€ said Links. â€œJust the opposite. Captain Spencerâ€™s DNA wasnâ€™t on it. It would have had to be on it if it was used to inject him with it. At the very least, it would have been on the injector.â€

â€œPerhaps it was sterilized after it was used on Captain Spencer," offered Phlox. â€œThat would remove Captain Spencerâ€™s DNA.â€

"In which case,â€ said Links, â€œthe residue of the peanut oil would also have been destroyed. Why sterilize the hypospray and then fill it with peanut oil again? We know from the residual pattern of the oil that it indicates the hypospray was full. There would be no reason to refill it once it was used on Captain Spencer.â€

â€œUnless it was to be used to implicate someone in the murder,â€ said Phlox. â€œAnd it is possible to place DNA on an object.â€

â€œExactly,â€ said Links. â€œIf someone went through the trouble of sterilizing the hypospray and then refilling it to implicate someone, it is very unlikely theyâ€™d implicate themselves.â€

â€œI will inform Sub-Commander Tâ€™Pol immediately,â€ said Phlox. â€œPerhaps this information will help her to locate the real killer.â€

â€œIâ€™m going back to the Stephen Hawking,â€ said Links. â€œI want to check on something. Iâ€™ll let you know what I find out.â€

 

â€œVery interesting, Doctor,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œThis does shed a different perspective on the matter.â€

â€œThen we can let the Capâ€™n out of confinement?â€ asked Trip.

â€œThat would be premature at this point,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œBut the evidence?â€ protested Trip.

â€œIs far from conclusive, Commander,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œStarfleet Command will require more than the suspicions of these two doctors if the Captain is to be exonerated.â€

â€œPeter may be able to help there,â€ said Phlox. â€œHeâ€™s returned to the Stephen Hawking to check on something. Heâ€™s promised to let me know what he finds out.â€

â€œInform me the moment he does,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œIn the meantime, there is nothing else to do but wait. And review the evidence in this new light.â€

Trip was not happy with the situation. But he also knew that Tâ€™Pol's Vulcan obstinance could be considerable. Until she had a logical reason to change, things would remain as they were.


	8. Chapter 8

EIGHT

Commander Marks entered the Enterprise conference room with a PADD in hand. Everyone else was already in the room. Marks noticed Archer sitting next to Tâ€™Pol.

â€œWhatâ€™s he doing here?â€ demanded Marks. â€œHeâ€™s supposed to be confined to his quarters.â€

â€œThese procedings concern him,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œHe has a right to be here.â€

â€œIâ€™ve heard back from Admiral Forrest,â€ said Marks, handing the PADD to Tâ€™Pol. â€œHe agrees with me. Anyone suspected of a crime like this should be confined to the brig.â€

â€œPlease sit down, Commander,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œThere have been new developments in this matter.â€

Marks took a seat at the table. He looked around at the others gathered there. Drs. Phlox and Links sat next to Captain Archer on Tâ€™Pol's left. To her right sat Amanda, then Marks, and finally Commander Lavene. Trip sat at the foot of the table. Two security guards stood at the door.

â€œAs you are all aware,â€ began Tâ€™Pol, â€œI have asked Drs. Phlox and Links to go over the physical evidence again. Their conclusions were the same. Captain Spencer died from an allergic reaction to peanut oil that was injected into him. The method of injection was a standard hypospray.

â€œYou are all also aware that such a hypospray was discovered a short time later in Captain Archer's quarters. And that the hypospray contained the residual effects of peanut oil.â€

â€œExactly,â€ said Marks. â€œIâ€™m assuming it was Captain Archer's DNA found on the hypospray, just as Dr. Phlox said?â€

â€œOh, it was indeed Captain Archer's DNA,â€ said Phlox. â€œPeter and I did a thorough analysis of the DNA. It is definitely Captain Archer's.â€

â€œSo whatâ€™s the problem?â€ asked Marks. â€œIt seems the evidence is pretty clear to me.â€

â€œLooks can often be deceiving,â€ said Dr Links. â€œThere are some serious questions if the evidence is legitimate.â€

â€œWhat does that mean?â€ asked Marks.

â€œCaptain Spencerâ€™s DNA was not found on the hypospray,â€ said Links. â€œIf it was used to inject him with the peanut oil, his DNA would have been present.â€

â€œSo Captain Archer cleaned off Captain Spencerâ€™s DNA after he murdered him,â€ offered Marks.

â€œIn which case,â€ said Phlox, â€œneither the residual oil nor Captain Archerâ€™s DNA would have been present.â€

â€œI have had the doctors perform numerous tests on the hypospray,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œThey are convinced there is no way to remove Captain Spencerâ€™s DNA and leave the other material on it. The only logical conclusion is that the hypospray was planted to incriminate Captain Archer.â€

â€œNot a surprising conclusion,â€ said Marks, â€œcoming from his friends.â€

â€œI agree with the conclusions,â€ said Links. â€œIn fact, Iâ€™m the one who first noticed the discrepancy.â€

â€œTheyâ€™re only suspicions,â€ said Marks. â€œThey donâ€™t change anything. Captain Archer is still the prime suspect based on the evidence. And the orders from Admiral Forrester are clear. Theyâ€™re on that PADD. Check them for yourself. Captain Archer is to be returned to Earth immediately to face an Article 71 hearing.â€

â€œOnly if he is a suspect,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œBased on further investigation, we no longer believe Captain Archer to be a viable suspect in this crime.â€

â€œAs I said,â€ said Marks, â€œthatâ€™s not surprising coming from his friends.â€

â€œI can assure you, Commander,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œI am not motivated by such factors as friendship. As a Vulcan, my conclusions are based solely on the facts and logic. And I am sure Starfleet Command will agree with those conclusions.â€

â€œI agree with Sub-Commander Tâ€™Pol, Tom,â€ said Commander Lavene. â€œShe showed me their evidence. Itâ€™s compelling.â€

â€œCraig,â€ said Marks, â€œhe killed the captain. Are you siding with them?â€

â€œAs I said, Commander,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œthere have been new developments. We have continued to investigate this matter. And what we have discovered has led us to remove Captain Archer as a suspect.â€

â€œOn what grounds?â€ demanded Marks.

â€œThe evidence we have uncovered indicates that the murderer is another person,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œSince there is no evidence to assume more than one person was involved, and since the evidence does not implicate Captain Archer, the only logical course of action is to remove Captain Archer from suspicion.â€

â€œWhat evidence?â€ asked Marks. â€œWho else could have possibly been implicated by the evidence?â€

Tâ€™Pol looked at Marks.

â€œYou, Commander,â€ said Tâ€™Pol dispassionately.


	9. Chapter 9

NINE

â€œYouâ€™re insane,â€ said Marks.

â€œI can assure you I am quite lucid,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œCommander,â€ said Archer finally, â€œour subspace radios are newer than yours. It doesnâ€™t take us as long to get a message from Starfleet Command as it does for you. Iâ€™ve already spoken to Admiral Forrest and heâ€™s been made aware of what weâ€™ve found out.â€

â€œWhat would that be?â€ demanded Marks.

â€œI checked the peanut oil in Captain Spencerâ€™s system,â€ said Links. â€œI was able to identify it at a molecular level. It didnâ€™t come from the Enterprise. It came from the Stephen Hawking.â€

â€œAnd since Captain Archer has never been aboard the Stephen Hawking,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œhe would not have access to it. You would.â€

â€œThat doesnâ€™t prove anything,â€ said Marks.

â€œNo,â€ said Commander Lavene, â€œbut how do you explain your DNA on the bottle of peanut oil in our galley? I checked with the cook. He said as far as he knew, you had never been in the galley.â€

â€œI was inspecting the lateral sensor array when Captain Spencer died,â€ said Marks. â€œI couldnâ€™t have killed him.â€

â€œI talked with crewman Jones again,â€ said Trip. â€œDuring your inspection, the lateral sensors had to be manually realigned. Which means he had to climb up into the array assembly to do it

â€œIt took him about ten minutes to align it. Plenty of time to leave, murder Captain Spencer, and get back without being noticed. Since it appeared you hadnâ€™t moved while Jones was aligning the array, he naturally assumed you had been there the whole time.â€

â€œTen minutes which you cannot account for, Commander,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œThe hypospray was found in Archer's quarters,â€ insisted Marks. â€œAre you suggesting I broke into the Captain's quarters and planted it there?â€

â€œThatâ€™s exactly what weâ€™re saying,â€ said Archer. â€œThe place where Captain Spencerâ€™s body was found is only a short distance from my quarters. Easy enough for you to get inside within those ten minutes.â€

â€œIn addition,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œyour DNA was found at the Captainâ€™s quarters.â€

â€œOf course it was,â€ said Marks. â€œI helped search his quarters, remember?â€

â€œExcept that your DNA was found on the control panel outside his quarters,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œCaptain Archer opened the door when we searched it. Which means you had to have been at there at some other time.â€

â€œTom,â€ said Lavene, â€œI checked the Captain's personal logs. At your yearly evaluation next month, he planned NOT to recommend you for your own command. He felt you needed more experience as a first officer. And we all know how badly you want your own command.â€

â€œYou honestly think thatâ€™s enough reason for me to kill him?â€ asked Marks.

â€œIt is my experience,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œthat reasons for murder are rarely logical. Except to the murderer.â€

â€œCommander Marks,â€ said Archer. â€œBy order of Admiral Forrest, you are hereby relieved of command of the Stephen Hawking. Commander Lavene will assume command and return to Earth where there will be an Article 71 to see if a general court martial should be convened.â€

The two security guards escorted Marks out of the conference room. They took him to the shuttle bay where a shuttle pod waited to take them back to the Stephen Hawking.

â€œIâ€™m sorry about all the trouble, Captain Archer,â€ said Lavene. â€œIt will take us about two months to get back to Earth. Once we do, maybe Tom will get the help he needs. He was a good officer.â€

â€œIâ€™m sorry things turned out the way they did,â€ said Archer. â€œAmanda, Iâ€™m so sorry about Terry. He seemed like a nice guy.â€

â€œHe was,â€ said Amanda. â€œAnd you know me. Iâ€™ll grieve in my own way later. Iâ€™m just sorry you had to go through this. Not a very good reunion after twenty years.â€

â€œMaybe next time we can spend time catching up,â€ said Archer, â€œinstead of trying to solve a mystery.â€

â€œIâ€™d like that,â€ said Amanda.

â€œWeâ€™d better go,â€ said Lavene. â€œWe have a long trip ahead of us.â€

â€œHave a safe journey, Captain,â€ said Archer.

â€œThatâ€™s going to take some getting used to,â€ said Lavene.

The group from the Stephen Hawking left the conference room for the shuttle bay of the Enterprise. With Commander Marks in tow, they returned to their own ship for the long trip home to Earth.


	10. Chapter 10

TEN

The Enterprise set course for it's next destination as the Stephen Hawking set course for Earth. Archer sat in his command chair looking over the status reports.

â€œCaptain,â€ said Hoshi, â€œCaptain Lavene just messaged us. He wants to wish the Enterprise a safe journey.â€

â€œSend back the same message, Hoshi,â€ said Archer.

â€œCurious,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œI have read that in Earth's past, a large portion of Earth's population favored capital punishment for crimes such as the one Commander Marks committed. The reaction of the crew of the Stephen Hawking seemed more of pity than vengeance.â€

â€œWell, Tâ€™Pol,â€ said Archer, â€œin the past, all some people were concerned with was revenge. Punish people for what they had done. Iâ€™d like to think weâ€™ve progressed beyond that. That we try to understand why people like Commander Marks do what they do so the behavior can be corrected.â€

â€œIt seems clear to me,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œCommander Marks desired his own command. And he was willing to commit murder to attain that goal. An action which itself proves he is not fit for command.â€

â€œThe ends justify the means,â€ commented Malcolm. â€œSome people think that anything they have to do is okay as long as the end comes out okay.â€

â€œA very human outlook,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œVulcans believe that one's actions are at least as important as the outcome. To believe that performing immoral actions to achieve a moral goal does not seem logical.â€

â€œFor once weâ€™re in agreement, Sub-Commander,â€ said Archer. â€œMarks forgot that being a ship's captain is more than just sitting in this chair and giving orders. In many respects, being a captain is a state of mind. That his responsibility to his crew is more important than being in command. Maybe Commander Marks will learn that one day.â€

â€œI have learned that humans are quite capable of change,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œwith sufficient motivation.â€

â€œAnyone can change,â€ said Archer. â€œUnfortunately, it sometimes takes something like this to effect that change.â€

â€œYes,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œNow, if Commander Marks had been a Vulcan, perhaps this could have all been avoided. His emotions obviously clouded his judgment.â€

â€œI suppose,â€ said Archer. â€œBut having emotions is part of what makes us human. I would have thought youâ€™d have learned that by now Tâ€™Pol.â€

â€œI have, sir,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œI only meant to say that if Commander Marks had looked at the situation logically instead of emotionally, he might have realized the inappropriateness of his actions.â€

â€œSo youâ€™re saying his emotions, not Commander Marks, are responsible for what happened?â€ asked Archer.

â€œPerhaps in a manner of speaking,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œCaptain,â€ said Malcolm, â€œI believe the Sub-Commander just insulted us. She just accused us of being slaves to our emotions.â€

â€œThat was not my intention,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, stifling a defensive reaction. â€œI was simply trying to point out that unlike emotions, logic is . . .â€

Her voice trailed off as she suddenly realized that the entire bridge crew was watching her with smiles on their faces. And she also realized what had just happened.

â€œI believe,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œthat this is what humans would call â€˜setting me upâ€™. Would I be correct in that belief?â€

The rest of the bridge crew just laughed.

â€œDonâ€™t take it personally, Tâ€™Pol,â€ laughed Archer. â€œItâ€™s just sometimes itâ€™s so easy to get you going. Sometimes humans canâ€™t resist yanking someoneâ€™s chain, so to speak. Call it a human failing.â€

â€œI certainly would,â€ responded Tâ€™Pol.

â€œNo offense intended, Sub-Commander,â€ said Malcolm, smiling.

â€œDisrespect and insubordination are hardly matters for levity, Lieutenant,â€ said Tâ€™Pol. â€œBy Starfleet regulations, such actions are subject to a general court martial.â€

â€œCourt martial?â€ questioned Malcolm. â€œSub-Commander, I can assure you I never meant to . . .â€

â€œInteresting,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, cutting Malcolm short, â€œIt would seem that â€˜yanking a human's chainâ€™, as the captain put it, can be easy to do as well.â€

Everyone on the bridge burst out laughing as Malcolm suddenly realized Tâ€™Pol had actually been joking about the court martial. Something he would never have expected from the Vulcan.

The End


End file.
